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Le Mans Métropole, an urban community of 19 municipalities, has chosen Veolia to operate its wastewater treatment plant at La Chauvinière in 2018 and for 9 years. An innovative and exemplary circular economy project.

A number of innovations will be developed on the La Chauvinière site enabling it to reduce its energy consumption as much as possible and become part of a more circular model

A number of innovations will be developed on the La Chauvinière site enabling it to reduce its energy consumption as much as possible and become part of a more circular model.
Consequently and for the first time on this type of installation, a process will transform the CO2 arising from the purification of biomethane into sodium bicarbonate; it will then be used by the neighbouring household waste to energy unit.
Similarly, the extraction of phosphorus, a product much in demand in agriculture, will be the focus of an R & D phase on the site.
An integrated pilot "Hypervision 360°" centre equipped with state-of-the-art digital technologies, will collect all the treatment plant data and optimize its operation. Le Mans Métropole will be able to remotely monitor performance indicators in real time.

Veolia will also construct an anaerobic digestion unit that will produce green energy (biogas) from the La Chauvinière sewage sludge. This unit will provide the same amount of biogas as that consumed by the city’s buses.

"Working alongside Le Mans, we will make the La Chauvinière plant a real reference in the water treatment sector.This plant illustrates what tomorrow’s plants will be like, that is, firmly committed to the circular economy, benefiting from excellent service in the forefront of innovation, and delivering remarkable performance." said Frédéric Van Heems, Chief Executive Officer of Water for Veolia in France.

Local employment and education project

Veolia will recruit 16 apprentices locally to strengthen the La Chauvinière team. 85% of subcontracting will be carried out at departmental level. The factory will also participate in eco-citizen education through an interactive educational tour.